2D2’s Random Thoughts

Posted By on November 23, 2019

•     Admittedly, the constant banter about trade speculation and the wait for free agents to sign can be very wearying for me . . . Frankly, I can’t wait for the winter meetings to start.   My baseball life was so slow this week, that I actually found myself spending some rather depressing time thinking about the Dodger signing Andrew Jones, Jason Schmidt, and Darryl Strawberry.  Oh my!  Please, please, please, let’s not duplicate those experiences this off-season.    

•      What should be done with Kenta Maeda?   There are reports of his unhappiness as to how he has been used.   Apparently, he has requested a trade.   I have to admit, that I’m ambivalent as to whether we keep him or not.   He’s one of those pitchers that doesn’t exude a great deal of confidence for me.   He seems to start out fine but then seems to tire out towards the end of the season and the Dodgers then move him to the bullpen.   Last year was pretty typical for him: winning 10 games with a 4.04 ERA, in 153.1 innings.   Maeda struck out 169, walked 51 and allowed just 6.7 hits per nine innings.  He has posted better numbers as a reliever, with a career 3.19 ERA as a reliever and a 3.92 ERA while pitching as a starter.  Against the Nationals this year, he pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out seven.  Apparently, Andrew Friedman has challenged Maeda to “find another gear”.   Maeda has four years remaining on his contract and, unless traded, he will not become a free agent until after the 2023 season.   In my opinion, he makes a good trade chip and I think some decent prospects can be obtained in return.  It wouldn’t make sense to trade him for a bullpen arm, as he might actually be better than whomever we would acquire.  

•    Speaking of Andrew Friedman, he has signed a new contract.   There are no reports of how long or for how much.   I suspect, however, that he is being paid fairly well and that he will be at the helm of baseball operations for the Dodgers for several more years.   Now what?   We here at La Dodger Talk give you a charge AF and that is “go bold!” this off-season.  That said, I’m still perplexed by so many Dodger fans, who view AF with such absolute disdain when so many in the industry hold him in such high esteem.     

•   According to reports quoting AF, Ross Stripling, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are candidates for the rotation next year.   I suspect that one of them is going to have a very difficult time beating out, Cole, Strasburg or Wheeler.   It was also reported that Caleb Ferguson would work strictly out of the bullpen.  

•   Reports indicate that the Dodgers are interested in recently posted Kwang-Hyun Kim.  According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Dodgers, as well as a number of other clubs have shown interest in the 31‑year‑old.   With the SK Wyverns of the KBO League, Kim posted an excellent 2.51 ERA with 180 strikeouts over 190 1/3 innings. Across 12 seasons overseas, he has racked up a 136‑77 record with a 3.27 ERA.

•    I have always wondered what it means when it is reported that a team is “interested” in a certain player.   It conjures up a vision in my mind of front office personnel sitting in a conference room when someone asks “what shall we do about our starting pitching next year?”   Another responds “It would be cool to have Jacob DeGrom, wouldn’t it?”  The group responds:  “Yeah, that would be sweet.”   Next morning’s headline “The Orioles are interested in DeGrom.”  

•    Writers for the Athletic, MLB TradeRumors, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the like have to generate traffic to their publications, otherwise, they couldn’t make a living.   While I believe that most of the writers, Ken Rosenthal, Jayson Stark, Peter Gammons, Ken Gurnick, Pedro Moura and others have a great deal of integrity, they still want to drum up readership and, therefore, I take a lot of what they say with a grain of salt.  For example, MLB TradeRumors runs an annual free agent prediction contest.  They are typically wrong with more than 70% of their predictions.  

•     I recently read a piece on Yimi Garcia, where the author pointed out that Garcia has tremendous success in non-stress situations, but falls off the table in stressful situations.   While Yimi was very effective in mop‑up duty, he was virtually the worst pitcher in the league when elevating to important outings.  Maybe we can just designate him as our bases empty, the outcome of the game is not in jeopardy reliever. . . that just might work. 

•     The Dodgers dipped into the international market this month, signing 16-year-old left-handed pitcher, Luis Valdez out of Mexico, as well as 17-year-old Colombian right‑hander Francisco Lucumi and 17-year-old Dominican left‑hander Yhonkervix Castillo to minor‑league contracts.   All three are reported to be better than Pedro Martinez.   Not really, I made that part up, although from what I’ve seen of Valdez, he’s a very polished 16-year-old.  We’ll check back in on these players in 3-4 years.   

•     Old friend Jharel Cotton signed with the Cubs this week . . . I wish him well.

•      For those of you desperate for some type of baseball activity, several Dodgers minor leaguers are playing winter ball: Erik Peterson (Adelaide Giants), Jared Walker and Yujo Kitagata (both Auckland Tuatara) are playing in the Australian Baseball League; Christian Santana (Estrellas Orientales), Shea Spitzbarth and Luis Vasquez (both for the Tigres de Licey) play in the Dominican Republic;   Darien Nunez is playing in the Roberto Clemente League, Puerto Rico, for the Alenienses de Manali; Antonio Hernandez (Jalisco de Mochas) and Ricardo Hernandez (Carneros de Los Mochas) play in Mexico.  

•     I for one, am not in favor of MLB’s proposed restructuring and elimination of up to 42 minor league teams.  For those that live near a minor league team, there’s nothing better than a night out with the family, taking in a professional baseball game, at an affordable price.  As they say, it’s as American as Apple Pie.   MLB cannot, and must not, always kow-tow to the needs and wants of those teams that are financially strapped.  If you can’t compete financially, sell your team to someone who can.  While we are on the subject of the minor leagues, MLB needs to step up and pay these young men a liveable wage.   How the players in the lower levels of the minors are being paid, is borderline criminal.  

•     Although I fear they won’t, I hope that MLB clamps down hard on the Houston Astros (Asterisks, as they have been called by some).  While I admit to not knowing all of the facts, and I know better than to make judgments before I do, if only ½ of what I read is true, the penalties should be severe.   

•     Who, of the Dodger prospects, are absolute untouchables in a trade for you?   Presently, I would have to say, Lux, May, Gray, and Cartaya.   I like Kiebert Ruiz, Jeter Downs, DJ Peters (I would be particularly hesitant to trade him), and a host of others, but if the right deal came along, I would be willing to trade them.   Holding onto prospects is always a dicey deal.   I can’t help but wonder though if Toronto is happy with the Syndergaard for Dickey trade today.    What think you folks, any untouchables on the Dodgers?   

•     My next post is going to be on former Dodger Tommy Davis.  Talk about a right-handed bat we could use today.   Tommy Davis is the last Dodger to win a batting title, doing it in successive seasons in 1962 and 1963.   In 1962, as a 23-year-old, he hit .346, with 230 hits, 120 runs scored, 27 HR and 153 RBI and yet, he finished 3rd in the MVP voting(behind Maury Wills and Willie Mays).   For 2 years he was as good a hitter as the Dodgers ever had.   Only to have his career derailed by a broken ankle.   Oh, what could have been!  

•   Happy Thanksgiving to all the LA Dodger Talk faithful!   There’s been disappointment, grief, and heartache aplenty this year, and yet there remains so much for which to be grateful!!

This article has 49 Comments

  1. I totally agree w you about all the rumors. Nice to see someone like you honest enough about it. None of them have a source except for another writer. It gets fans worked up and some of them get mad or frustrated when the rumor doesn’t happen.
    Re Maeda? Too bad he’s so locked in to wanting to be a starter. He’d be a much bigger name, much better career if he bought into being a reliever. I say trade him. We can replace him in the rotation and he doesn’t want to be in our bullpen.

    1. I’m adding another player to may Favorite Dodger Player List. Here is the list:
      1. Clayton Kershaw (yes, I know he’s past his prime, but he is pure class);
      2. Cody Bellinger (you ain’t seen nothing yet… he will keep evolving)
      3. Tony Gonsolin (RH Andrew Miller Type-Reliever or Rick Sutcliffe Type-Starter)

      There’s a video with Tony on Dodgers.com where he talks about last year and learning and preparing as a starter to pitch 200 innings which will make him more effective if he pitches out of the pen. He gets it and I think he will be a huge asset for us… out of the pen. He could evolve into a closer, but out of ST, I can see him and Caleb Ferguson as the RH – LH Long Relievers.

      Here’s the prospects whom I would not trade:

      1. Lux
      2. May
      3. Ruiz
      4. Gray
      5. Downs
      6. Santana
      7. Cartaya
      8. Peters
      9. Gonsolin
      10. Hoese
      11. Busch
      12. White
      13. Amaya
      14. Grove
      15. Vargas
      16. Carrillo
      17. Wong
      18. Jackson

      Here’s why: They don’t need to and some (maybe not the ones we expect) will be very, very good. Keep growing the farm and sign the right FA’s.

      1. Only 18 prospects you wouldn’t trade, eh Mark? Too bad, I happen to know the Indians would trade us Lindor even up for Jackson and now you won’t let us do it.

      2. I agree with you about Tony Gonsolin. Whenever he is interviewed, I get the same impression-“he gets it!”

  2. Totally agree on the minor leagues. Just dumb. Read that in discussions with MLB, the minor leagues are running into a wall on the issue. But now that Congress is weighing in, plus cities and other government officials, it really looks like a losing hand for the MLB. Bean counters never see the big picture. The Lancaster Jethawks where I live are on the list. They draw well, lots of families attend those games. The facility is really nice, built with taxpayer dollars. I think people watching baseball is a good thing, develops a fan base. According to reports, MLB is taking a hard line approach with the players union. Pure arrogance. This isn’t going to end well.

    In terms of trading prospects, I’m guessing the Dodgers will be willing to trade from depth, positions like catcher. But they also have too many outfielders on the Major League roster. What to do with Maeda? The most interesting question this winter. May depend on how the rotation shapes up, free agents, Ryu, possible trades. His contract is a real asset. They could leave it this season with a take it to the next level and you start. If not, you relieve. Then we’ll try to find a trade partner next year.

    Also remember that Friedman likes to see reports the Dodgers are doing this or that, when they have no involvement. Just a guess, but I’m thinking they intentionally add to rumors with leaks. Would anybody be surprised?

    1. Not all of us bean counters fail to see the big picture!!. I am against the proposed MiLB plan, have been since it was first reported. Minor League Baseball is a great family summer night out.

    2. From what I have “unofficially heard” Manfred was set to up the rosters to 26 or 27 if the NL added the DH and pitch clock (and other things) in 2019. Tony Clark and the Union were unwilling to budge and so he abandoned that. This is pure posturing for the Union Battle that is coming. This is simply to offer back as a concession so Manfred can get what he wants.

  3. My oldest son is in the Dominican as we speak until December 19th, shooting a movie called “Winter Ball” and the Director whois allegedly a Dodger fan has invited to the set. I’ll probably go for a few days early next month. He said he would get me a Directors Chair next to him so we could talk Dodgers Baseball. Sounds very cool.

    1. Now that would be an experience! If you go, maybe you could take a run by the Dodgers Baseball Academy and see what they do there during the off season.

  5. Good post 2D2. My random comments to your random thoughts:

    Guys I wouldn’t trade: Lux, May, Gray. As they say, everyone is for sale, it’s just a matter of price, and there are always exceptions to every rule. If the Angels called and said they would trade us Trout for Lux and May, yes I would do it.

    The three kid pitcher signings: Luis Valdez definitely looks like someone to keep an eye on and, of course, we love young left handers from Mexico. I assume Yhonkervix (Castillo) is a derivation of the name Yangervis (Solarte) but with a spelling like that I think he should pull an Ichiro and go by his first name.

    If AF isn’t just blowing smoke by saying Stripling, Gonsolin and May are candidates for the rotation next year, maybe he’s trying to tell us not to expect any free agent pitcher signings. He’s already said that Urias and Maeda will be starters, so Buehler, Kershaw, Urias, Maeda, Stripling/Gonsolin/May give us five starters. On the other hand, Friedman is a great poker player, so that could all be one big bluff.

  6. 2D2, some very good thought provoking comments today. These are fun.

    Kenta Maeda – I have been indifferent, bordering on meh, since he signed. People keep forgetting that Maeda got a guaranteed 8 year deal with heavy incentives because there were questions about his arm holding up. If there was a better offer on the table, he should have taken it. Nobody forced him to sign the deal, and now he wants to be a LAD starter for the entire year or be traded where he can take advantage of his incentives. $8MM for a pitcher with 10-8 record and 4.04 ERA with 153.2 IP. Does he really deserve more. He is a #5 SP which is why he is moved to the pen for the playoffs. He also wears down at the end of the season. Right now, he is not more valuable than Dustin May, or Julio Urias, or Tony Gonsolin as a SP, so his best value could be a trade to say…Baltimore or Detroit two teams where he may be able to maximize his contract even if neither team is in contention. Color me unimpressed.

    AF – I would hope that those who are disgruntled with AF are so because the Dodgers still do not have a WS championship since 1988. But some people are just naturally miserable.
    Certainly FA signings like Scott Kazmir and Brett Anderson do not inspire a lot of confidence. Although I understand why both were signed, and why Anderson was given the QO at a time that no player in the history of MLB had accepted the QO until that winter, along with The Orioles catcher, Matt Wieters, and Astros OF, Colby Rasmus. Kazmir was given deferred money and opt outs which I believe that FAZ fully expected Kazmir to exercise. It is not like there were a lot of choices out there. I have no desire to re-debate the signing of Kazmir and Brett Anderson, but at a time when the Dodgers were trying to be a competitive team on the field, build up their farm, and try to reduce payroll, there were plenty of arguments to be made.

    My point is that some believe they know more about player valuation and evaluation than do the professionals, and all of them have great 20-10 hindsight. AF is doing exactly what he was originally signed for. Keep the ML team in contention, rebuild the farm system, and get the Dodgers payroll to a sustainable level. He has accomplished all three goals. Now let’s see if he can deliver an upgrade in the current roster with his largess of $$$ and player capital. Just like Clayton Kershaw’s legacy will have a little tarnish because of his post season results, AF needs to deliver a WS championship to solidify his legacy. Both have been outstanding, but just have not got the team over the hump…yet.

  7. My coffee always tastes better when reading a good post on Dodger Talk in the morning. This was one of them. Good job 2D2. I agree with your observations on Maeda and Yimi. Looking forward to see how the 3 international signings go and the article on Tommy Davis.

    Re the minor league situation, oh how I agree with you. Why punish the clubs who treat their players well with good facilities etc although all clubs need to pay the players a decent wage. It would be bitter sweet if it was proven that the Astros cheated during the 2017 WS. It could have made a difference on how Kershaw, Yu and Jansen pitched.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am very grateful to be a Dodger fan.

  8. I go back to the Lake Woebegon analogy: not all Dodgers prospects are “above average”. There is no team in baseball, Dodgers included, that have 18 untouchable prospects. Just a few that are considered “can’t miss”. I don’t pretend to know who those are. I expect, for example, that DJ Peters isn’t one of them. Why? He can’t make contact consistently enough. In 4 seasons, he has K’d 615 times and posted a .269 BA. (That’s 515 K’s vs. 461 H.) That’s why he’s the #12 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

    I give the Braintrust high marks for usually knowing which prospects are questionable and therefore tradeable and which are not. I agree with sbuffalo that you trade from your depth and so the question is where the Dodgers have the most minor league depth from which to trade. 13 of the top 30 prospects are RHP, per MLB Pipeline. 6 are middle INF, 3 are C, 4 are corner INF, only 2 are OF. If they intend to use prospects as trade capital to acquire another SP or bullpen arm, I would expect that RHP will go. The question is who, but I expect that only May and Gonsolin are untouchable of that group. Maybe Gray too.

  9. MT, 18 untouchables? I have 3, and they are the same three as are Singing The Blue…Lux, May, and Gray. MT you have three untouchable catchers? With Will Smith, the grizzled veteran of 25 (in March), Keibert Ruiz (turns 22 in July), Diego Cartaya (19) and Connor Wong (24 in May), just how many catchers do you need in the pipeline before someone is deemed tradeable? I am not saying you DFA them or give them away for that proverbial player to be named later, but maybe you can package one of them with ML talent (Joc, Kenta, Strip…) to get that elite reliever or elite RH bat. Of course trading away prospects means that they may come back to haunt you, like Yordan Alvarez. However, the Dodgers got a couple of good years out of Josh Fields, and Yordan Alvarez would not have been on the LAD roster yet. The NL does not have a DH and that is what Alvarez is.

    If there is not a clear path to ML stardom, then all prospects are collateral. Lux, May, and Gray have a clear path and in the proper time frame. I do not know if DJ Peters will be a star or a Dave Kingman/Billy Ashley, but as a RH power hitting OF in the LAD organization, he is not blocked, and that would make him more untouchable in the organization than say 3 catchers.

    I love both Jacob Amaya and Omar Estevez. Maybe it is because Omar has been in the organization seemingly forever, but he will only be 22 next year, and with a ticket to OKC. Jacob will be 21 and at Rancho. Not a big age difference. Yet Jacob is untouchable and Omar is not? Omar is a doubles machine. He is also more versatile defensively, and that makes him more valuable to the Dodgers . I personally would want to keep both in my organization, but with Gavin Lux and Jeter Downs ahead of them in the pipeline, and Zach McKinstry making a place for himself, why do the Dodgers need to keep all of these middle infielders, when one of them may be packaged for a player the Dodgers need now?

    Grove is untouchable, because right now he has no trade value. He may end up being a bust, and he could also become a star. But he will remain in the organization as the Dodgers do not give up on players (maybe to a fault). Especially those that have had injuries.

    MT, Nowhere on your list is one of my favorites, and while not untouchable, is certainly headed in that direction…Brett de Geus. He is at least a year away, and should not be considered a potential for this year’s team, but he is on his way. Next year at AA will be his test. My guess is that Jordan Sheffield was left unprotected because of guys like de Geus and Gerardo Carrillo and Marshall Kasowski.

    Lux and May are clear untouchables because they have starting positions to lose in 2020. To me, Gray is untouchable because he has a mid to upper rotation ceiling, he is close, and you just do not give those players away. Teams do not have a bunch of them just hanging around. I like Ruiz, not as much as MT, but he has what most teams look for in a hitter…contact. He is not the greatest defensive catcher in the organization, and to me if you are looking for your catcher to be your offensive catalyst you are looking for trouble. The catcher first and foremost must be good with the pitchers, block balls in the dirt, and be able to throw runners out. Framing is important now, but with the electronic strike zone getting more plausible, that skill will be less of an asset. The book is still being written on Ruiz’s defensive skills, but he is young and can continue to develop. I have no idea how Connor Wong ‘s defense compares. I do believe that Diego Cartaya will have defensive skills that will be near Will Smith level. On just total skills (offensive and defensive), Diego Cartaya may be the best of the bunch, but is furthest away. Forgetting about Felipe Vazquez’s criminal problems, I would have been fine with including Ruiz to get Vazquez. Having Vazquez at the end of a game, would have made a significant difference in Game 5 (IMO). Thank God, Huntington did not agree to the trade. The Dodgers still need another legit late inning lock down reliever, but they still have Lux and Ruiz.

    1. 1. I intended to list de Gues and forgot. Pure and simple… oversight. I like him a lot and think there is a possibility he pitches in LA in the Second half of 2020.

      2. On Ruiz and Wong: I have not seen Cartaya, but I have watched Ruiz and Wong a lot. Wong has a better arm, but is still rough around the edges at C. If Ruiz stays there, then I think Wong will move to 2B or 3B. He could serve as an emergency C in the future if moved. I do believe he can become a MLB catcher, he just started late. He has a good glove as does Ruiz. Ruiz just has that “IT” factor that I can’t identify. I just know it when I see it. He can be as great as he wants.

      3. I am not saying to hoard all your prospects every year but I would THIS year. The “shotgun approach” rather than the rifle approach!

      4. On MLB Radio, I heard this trade suggestion: Verdugo and Ruiz for Betts. Bloom is a friend of AF. Bowden said Bloom would do it. He also said he thought AF could extend Betts.

      1B – Muncy
      2B – Lux
      SS – Seager
      3B – Turner
      LF – Pederson/Pollock
      CF – Bellinger
      RF Betts
      C – Smith

      That’s tempting….

      1. The only chance that de Geus pitches in LA next summer will be because your existing bullpen of Alexander, Garcia, Shaggy, Floro, et al is proven once again to be a problem bullpen. Not only that, but all of the other 40 man pitchers like Santana and White will have failed as well. I have been in de Geus’ corner since last spring, so I beleive he will succeed, but no reliever who has not pitched past A ball will get with a pennant contending team in the succeeding year. There will be too many of the AAAA types that AF will fall in love with. de Geus will compete for a roster spot in 2021 not 2020.

  10. If I thought Friedman might be influenced by trade I suggest I would not fart around like I do in the off season. I like the Dodger team as it is with the following caveats.

    1. The Dodgers might be better off if they didn’t have to find as many at bats for Taylor and Kike’. Maybe one of them could be traded for a Mota/Hansen/Harris type player that excels at pinch hitting without needing too many at bats.

    2. An outfield of Pederson, Pollock, Bellinger, and Verdugo is solid if Pollock platoons and if not, then replace his bat with a righty bat that would platoon.

    3. I would like to have Pomeranz and Diaz and if Pollock can find a way to plat CF like Friedman thought he could when he signed him, maybe he +$$ and Baez could get us Diaz. I’m trying to not ruffle any feathers so I didn’t include Dodger 40 man players that most covet here.

    1. The Mets have been pretty clear that Daz is not going anywhere.

      IF AF has a time machine maybe he can take Pollock back 2 years.

      I think Kike or CT3 gets traded.

      I’m for trying Pomeranz, but past performance is no guarantee of positive results.

      That PH guy might be Tyler White.

  11. AC,

    I do not think Estevez has enough power to play MLB.

    As an example, in the AFL, he hit .249 and had 19 hits. 17 were singles. 2 doubles.

    1. And that is the problem with today’s game. If you do not have power you cannot play MLB. If power is the decider, then Jacob Amaya should not be an untouchable, because he has no power either. But the point is neither are untouchable.

      If the AFL is the appropriate determining league, then DJ Peters should not be considered as untouchable because his AFL numbers were .190/.277/.500/.777. But he is because he has power to go along with being one of the biggest strikeout victims in all of professional baseball. But he does have prodigious power as did Billy Ashley, Mike Marshall, and Dave Kingman. Decent players, but certainly not untouchable.

      What is wrong with a non power hitter like Donovan Solano who hit .330/.360/.456/.815 for SFG last year? I know he only had 4 HRs. But when you rely on the HR like LAD, NYY, and Minn to win games, then don’t complain when the power gets mitigated by the great pitching in the playoffs.

      1. I second that emotion! I would take an on base machine vs a high strike out power hitter, more often than. The ideal (or the trick) is to find the perfect blend.

  12. Just another comment on the minor league issue. Is this a “sharing the wealth” issue to make everyone equal? Will the next suggestion from MLB be to make the wealthier and successful major league teams help finance the poorer and least successful minor league teams? Or is this all about money? I do not mean to sound so negative but any thoughts?

    1. There is already a component of “share the wealth” in MLB – that’s what the competitive balence (ie. “luxury”) tax is.

  13. Ok, I’m not seeing the Diaz deal. Apparently the Mets don’t want to trade him because, fingers crossed, they hope he regains his elite stuff. Does he? Probably 50/50. I really don’t get the Pollock dislike. Right handed batter, had a really good second half, lot of big hits (I guess some times people tend to forget), still an above average defender. Having a screw removed from an elbow (not uncommon) from a prior surgery hurt his season, but he bounced back and played well. Okay, he was terrible in the World Series. But there is a long history of good players having similar issues. There are also players having problems one time and the next time playing well in the playoffs.

    I like Pomeranz, but Mark is right, no guarantees. Just like a Betts trade, if the Red Sox actually trade him, no guarantees the Dodgers will sign him long term. If they don’t, then why waste good prospects on a one year deal? Lesser prospects, fine. But the Red Sox will want top assets. So, just sign Rendon at top dollar, solves the right handed bat issue and third base for the next few years. Only costs a draft choice. Not like the Dodgers can’t afford it. Why not just make a statement and shock everybody? Sign both Cole and Rendon. I mean, why not? They have lots of money coming off the books in the next couple of years.

    It certainly won’t put a dent in their profits and this is a big year for the Dodgers, new stadium renovation and hosting the All-Star game. One other thing, the Lakers are back. The pressure is on Kasten and Company, from the fans, the media and it has been 32 years and counting.

    And don’t bring up history, what Friedman has or hasn’t done, because none of it matters. Going big doesn’t mean the Dodgers won’t dominate long term. It won’t impact the future. Hey, it won’t impact the prospects at all. The best of all worlds. It’s actually the smart play.

    It’s kinda the Dodgers “Ford v. Ferrari” moment, isn’t it? How did that turn out for Ford? They dominated Le Mans for years. Led to a financial bonanza.

    1. I cannot disagree with much that you said. All players are guesses. Will they hit/pitch like they did last year? Who knows? Will they get hurt? Who recovers best from their injury? I was a big fan of Jose De Leon, and I would have loved to see him come back to LA. I will be rooting for him hard in Cincy, except when he pitches against the Dodgers. IMO the best information as to how a pitcher will hit/pitch in the succeeding year is how they have hit/pitched in the past. Sometimes they do regress and that is shown as well(KJ and CK). But maybe they can also find another way of pitching. They know what dominating was.

      I know Mark likes to find the guy before he is that guy, but sometimes you need the missing piece who has already been that guy. I have no idea if Drew Pomeranz is legit, but what he showed last year tells me his ceiling as a reliever is higher than any of the Dodger relievers except Tony Gonsolin and Kenta Maeda. You take a chance on a guy like that. Okay maybe Will Smith will only have two good years out of three as Mark indicated. So what? I will take those two good years? Three years for $40MM for a pitcher that has been a dominant closer and is not showing any signs of regression? IMO the Braves stole him. Money was not an issue. His ability to pitch in high leverage/late inning games with a win on the line was what was important. Does anyone really think Yimi Garcia or Scott Alexander, or Dylan Floro, or JT Chargois is going to have a better year than Will Smith (or Will Harris or Ken Giles for that matter). Does anyone really believe that any of those Dodger pitchers can be consistently successful in late inning/high leverage situations?

      Mark said the same thing about Scott Alexander and Yimi Garcia last year as he is saying this year. They have never been anything other than okay, but mostly not so. I am not denying the arm that Garcia has, but does he have the makeup to be a late inning/high leverage pitcher? He never has, and just saying you think he can be doesn’t make it so.

      I should have copyrighted my Dodgers Go Bold in 2020. I now see national writers say the same thing about what the Dodgers should do. This is the year. They have the dollars available. They have the prospects. They have a 106 win team. They have the stadium renovations. They have the All Star Game. What they do not have is that extra ingredient…the big shoulders for the team to climb on. Gerrit Cole gets them the 2nd Ace to go with Walker Buehler. They do not have the lock down bullpen. They may or may not have the RH bat. But they do have good LH bats that can also hit LHP. I do not believe the Dodgers are going to give up on AJ Pollock. Corey Seager has hit LHP in the past, so he is capable. Muncy, Belli, and Verdugo have hit LHP. So do they need a RH bat or just a consistent bat? If Josh Donaldson is the 2020 version of Kirk Gibson, then I am fine with signing him to a three year deal. Donaldson is a better fit as a 3B than Castellanos in the OF. I would then offset some of that FA $$ with trading Joc and Maeda for another high leverage late inning reliever and/or prospects. But will the Dodgers forego their 2nd and 3rd round draft pick for Cole and Donaldson. I would because Cole and Donaldson give the Dodgers a far better chance to win in the next one – two – three years than does a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Plus as has been stated a lot, the Dodgers have a stable full of quality minor league players already, and very few of them were their 2nd or 3rd pick. One can beleive in the organization, but still believe the team needs help to get over the hump. I also agree that getting Cole/Donaldson/Pomeranz is no guarantee, just like not signing any of them will not guarantee the Dodgers will not win. Just don’t let $$$ be a deterrent. Don’t come back and say that your goal was to stay under $180MM because there are no guarantees.

  14. I think that the knock on AF is that he is like that really good looking girl that you dated when that time was the norm. She was super hot, said all the right things the vast majority of the time, would be generous at times, and downright unreasonable at others. She would let you get past third, ready to slide into home, and then suddenly stop and tell you that isn’t “comfortable” for her. That isn’t her way of doing things.

    Meanwhile, you have put all your heart, support and hopes in that she will eventually change her mind, but she still just leads you on and doubles down on the more trivial things that you love about her. It keeps you coming back. Over and over and over and over. Always thinking THIS is the time it’ll be different.

    Now with that girl, you eventually move on.

    That won’t happen with Dodger’s fans. I’ll be a fan till my last breath. However, it does cause a lack of faith that this front office in that it has the moxy to go for the throat with their resources that the fan base provides.

    All this could be true, or not, but i do believe this is the perception among many fans (of LA and baseball in general), media, etc.

    Constantly holding pat because the best case scenario MAY happen, isn’t really a strategy, its a hope……especially after its failed over and over.

    Counting on guys to finally “get it” when they never have, is the old definition of insanity. Does it happen to guys sometimes? Sure. Does it happen to basically an entire bullpen? Na

    Personally, I am extremely confident in AF signings. I think that he has FAR more loses that wins in the FA market.

    His strength is obviously finding gems that others give up on. Muncy, Turner, etc.

    Trades are a solid meh. Some good, some not so much.

    He is great at cutting costs and fielding a great team. Not sure that is something that fires up myself or the fan base but it is an accomplishment I guess.

        1. …ready to slide into home.

          I’m trying to picture one of Puig’s awkward feet first slides just to get past that post

    2. Jason,

      You need to get back to reality.

      Friedman has won more games and spent more money the past 5 years than any team in MLB. You are free to have your own opinion but you can’t make up your own reality. You will get called out on this site. I can direct you to another Dodger site you might love where reality is Checked at the door!

      1. OK guys, someone’s got to stick up for Jason so I’ll take a crack at it.
        I see his comments as saying that L.A. fans don’t see AF as willing to spend dollars on the big free agents to get us over the top. I think that’s a fair take although some could argue with it.
        He says that not tinkering much with the bullpen and expecting the guys we have to suddenly get it is probably not going to work. Also a valid opinion although others may not agree.
        He says AF has done very well with his free agent signings and not as well with his trades. Again, you can argue the point, but it’s not crazy.
        Now as far as the girl is concerned, Jason I think you probably had a bad experience that you still aren’t over and bringing it up to this group is just going to get you in trouble. You would have been much safer using a Charlie Brown kicking the football analogy.

  15. Jason. Bro. Whatever it is that you smoked before you started that post that led you to the hot girl analogy…….. PLEASE share it with me! Or at least tell me where you got it so that I can purchase it in time to use it Thursday before i stuff my face with everything in site!!

    Also, do you still have that hot girl’s number…..

  17. Braves signs Travis d’Arnaud for two years $16MM. A little pricey for me, but they needed that 2nd catcher and were not afraid to overspend slightly to get d’Arnaud. Smith, Martin, and O’Day were priced right so a little overspend for a needed position is not the end of the world. However, what I like about what the Braves are doing is that they are going after what they need early. They are not kicking tires. They are now in a position to sign either Donaldson or MadBum. I have always like MadBum in Atlanta. It just makes too much sense. He is not a Philly type guy. I can see him signing with Minnesota. A lot of outdoors in Minnesota. But Atlanta seems perfect for MadBum. Nothing to base it on, but I just do not see Bumgarner comfortable in a big city environment (LA, NY, Chicago, Philadelphia). I would include SF, but that has been his only home so he would naturally feel comfortable there.

    Some on here may not agree with what AA has done, but he is being aggressive in areas of need. I can see them addressing their need for a veteran SP and re-signing Dallas Keuchel.
    If I were a Braves fan, I would prefer Bumgarner, but sometimes you fall short on your wish list. I can see them addressing 3B with Moustakas. They have options now because they have already addressed other areas of concern.

    Actually I wish AF acted with a little more urgency. That way you do not end up with Scott Kazmir because that is all that is left.

  18. I agree that AA is being very smart by being the contrarian. He zigs when most everyone else is zagging. As I mentioned at the start of the off season, if you wait for Boras to let his guys sign someone is going to be left without anything.
    Also agree that Atlanta seems like a Madbum kind of town but on the other hand, he’s an intense guy (at least on the field) and Philly is very intense about their baseball, so I could see either place as a fit for him. Wouldn’t be totally shocked to see AA swoop in and sign Ryu out from under us either although my first inclination is that Ryu will wind up somewhere with a somewhat decent sized Korean population. Palisades Park NJ has the highest concentration of Korean population in the country. It’s about 20 minutes from Yankee Stadium.

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